On Monday morning, the Federal Emergency Management Agency released its long-anticipated revisions to flood maps. They scaled back the size of the flood zone from what was proposed, in some cases.

These are preliminary work maps for four New Jersey counties heavily impacted by Superstorm Sandy: Hudson, Monmouth, Ocean and Atlantic.

The preliminary work maps for those counties will replace the Advisory Base Flood Elevation maps because they reflect a more precise modeling analysis of current flood hazards, including wave analysis and other conditions that could affect flood risk.

FEMA said they are "working closely with New Jersey’s local and state officials to provide the most accurate updated flood risk information to those individuals who need it as they make decisions about rebuilding their homes. Revision of these maps is an ongoing process leading to the final Flood Insurance Rate Maps. The final maps will incorporate previous data and add more details about specific flood risk conditions in communities throughout the state, with a priority placed on those in coastal areas facing the highest risk."

Before Superstorm Sandy struck, FEMA was in the process of updating flood hazard maps for

the New Jersey coast.

Soon after Sandy, FEMA released Advisory Base Flood Elevations which incorporated much of the information contained in the study already under way.

Because Sandy had reshaped the coastline, not all the earlier information was applicable. The Advisory Base Flood Elevations represented the best information available at the time, and served as a guide for those who wanted to rebuild as soon as possible.

Additional information about the coastal mapping efforts and Hurricane Sandy recovery can be found on the Region 2 Coastal Analysis Mapping website: http://www.region2coastal.com.

On Monday, local Assemblyman Ruben Ramos (D-33rd Dist.), who is running for Hoboken mayor against incumbent Dawn Zimmer, said, “I am very happy and relieved that FEMA and the New Jersey DEP have worked together to listen to the concerns of our residents and incorporate those considerations into these revised maps. The initial drafts of the flood maps would have made the City of Hoboken unlivable by forcing residents to pay unreasonably high insurance rates. The fact that our homeowners do not have the option of raising their buildings up on stilts would have put Hoboken residents in a uniquely difficult situation. After giving testimony to the state DEP and meeting with state and federal officials many times over the past six months, it is clear that the concerns I raised were met with favorable consideration and meaningful action by these government agencies.”